50 Years of Music Education with Austin City Limits Live | SXSW EDU 2024

At SXSW EDU 2024, attendees dove into the rich history of Austin City Limits Live - a program that has shaped the music scene in Austin, Texas - and discovered how ACL Live spreads its impact across the globe by going beyond entertainment and into an education and learning element.

Terry Lickona, executive producer of Austin City Limits Live, joined Austin singer-songwriter Jackie Venson, and Elizabeth Hulse, Manor ISD’s 2019 Elementary Teacher of the Year, to discuss the show's origins and how live recordings of musical guests are now being used as educational tools through a special new PBS venture. This partnership aims to teach students various musical concepts through video segments from the show paired with suggested activities to be implemented in classrooms.

“It was really cool to see all of the questions that kids had. It pulled out this critical thinking for the students. It pulled out their need to want to ask the questions and find out more beyond what I was just asking them.”

Elizabeth Hulse
Music Specialist (K-6), Manor ISD

Moderated by Benjamin Kramer from Austin PBS, the panel journeyed through time, celebrating 50 years and over 1000 Austin City Limits Live episodes. They recounted the hundreds of iconic performances, from Willie Nelson to Ray Charles and Rosalia to Kendrick Lamar, illustrating the show's inclusive nature.

ACL Live's rich history began in 1974 when public television was just emerging. At the time, all broadcasting was considered educational TV, and with Austin being the music capital of the world, a unique opportunity to educate, entertain, and amplify the sound of the city came to fruition.

Lickona discussed the show's history, reminiscing about Willie Nelson’s pilot episode, highlighting its trailblazing role in showcasing different genres of music to their audience, much of which were typically overlooked at the time. Through this initiative, the company's educational mission emerged serendipitously.

Hulse attested to how ACL Live has transformed her classroom. Currently, she leverages the new toolkit to structure her lesson plan and uses performance clips to guide her students through questioning practices and the discovery of different musical instruments.

Watch the full Featured Session, ACL: 50 Years of Live Music, 50 Years of Music Education, now to learn more:

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Photo by Stephen Olker